AGAPE: The Basis of Our Values

AGAPE love is eternal, unbroken, sacrifical benevolence. It is pure goodness that constantly flows from the Trinity to man. AGAPE originates only in God, and His desire is that it flows back to Him and outwardly to our fellow human beings.

Love will be our source, our motivation, and our bottom line. We want to make AGAPE visible and practical in all we do. We want to see each person experience, personally and deeply, the AGAPE that God has for them. He loves us first, and when we are filled with His love, we have something to give away. Love for God is first, followed by our love for one another in the church. Then our love must find expression to the lost, hurting, broken, and bound.

Worship: We seek to honor the greatness of God and all He has done. We believe life begins in God and flows to us. We value intimate communion with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We desire to grow in depth and creativity in our personal and corporate worship. Everything we desire to do will flow from a heart and a lifestyle of worship. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3

Selfless Love: Everyone needs to know God’s love, and we want to tell them about it. We want to operate like a healthy, loving family. We will daily love the people of our city: the broken, the bound and the poor. We believe God’s love, AGAPE, does not fail. We believe love looks like generosity.“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” I John 3:16

Excellence: We want to reflect Christ’s greatness in our thoughts and actions. We want to give God our best. We will develop and plan with excellence, remaining flexible to allow God to guide and redirect our plans. We want God to build His vision through us. “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men . . . It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Col 3:23-24

Gospel Transformation: We desire to live in grace. We want to daily allow the gospel of Christ to transform us, personally and corporately. We desire that the gospel remain at the center of everything we do. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Rom. 1:16

Authentic, Life-Giving Relationships: We want to stay connected on our journey together. Every person matters in God’s family. We want our relationships to have both truth and grace. We value transparency, being real. We will work through conflict with grace. We desire to set and honor healthy boundaries. “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”Rom. 12:9

Empowered Leadership: We will lead out of our God-given design. We know that being who God made us to be, precedes doing what He’s called us to do. We want to mine for the Christ-image in others. We will come alongside others to help them fulfill their God-given purpose and call. “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” Rom. 12:6